“Jake Gyllenhaal is such a charismatic person,” she replied, in a video taken by The Los Angeles Times, “that if you’ve known him for one day, you’ve known him for 10 years. You would be most likely getting the same person. It was just a pleasure.”

In the movie, the Oscar-nominated actress plays the character of Maggie Murdock, who develops the early stages of Parkinson’s disease. She told the LA Times that researched the role by meeting with Parkinson’s patients.

"I went to Parkinson's support groups, I met with neurologists, I read a lot of Michael J. Fox's writings and interviews. Parkinson's disease doesn't get a lot of coverage in the media, doesn't get a lot of play in films or in story lines. So I just wanted to make sure that I did my research and did everybody justice."

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The movie, which opens Nov. 24, also stars Oliver Platt, George Segal, Hank Azaria, Judy Greer and Jill Cayburgh in one of her final acting roles before passing away on Friday.